An African Safari

Safari is a great word because yes, it can be an exploration into the deepest bush on search for lions and man-eating elephants, but it is also just the generic word for "a journey." Yesterday we headed off on "safari," a 550 kilometer journey to Kampala. Originally we were going to take Billy's Aunt Katy (Key) and Uncle Stan (Key) to the airport. They were able to visit for four days and we had a fantastic time introducing them to Arua, our pastors, the village, and just our life. Their flight back to the America was to leave Wednesday night so we thought, "We'll just drive them down Wednesday morning; we are headed to Kampala anyway." Our plan was somewhat naive now as we look back.

The Land Rover was leaking oil so John and Erica graciously offered their vehicle. We were grateful. Elsie wanted a last minute picture with Uncle Stan and then we were off. We had a great time talking and a smooth "safari"...for the first hour.

Just outside of Nebbi (the town where our pastors live), the vehicle died.

In moments like these, Billy's daddy always says, "The Good News is Jesus is still on the throne." Somehow that was reassuring as we sat on the side of the Ugandan Highway. The challenge was two fold: how do we get the Rinehimer vehicle (nicknamed Larry) back to Arua and what about Aunt and Uncle's flight in now less than twelve hours. The miracle was that we did have cell phone service. Because the Land Rover wasn't running, John Rinehimer mobilized some German missionary friends to come to the rescue. They quickly got organized and got on the road...only to blow a tire. Good news was they had a spare. Bad news was the spare needed more air. No problem. They found us, we all reassured each other and then they went on into Nebbi to get air for the tire. While they were working on that, we called our pastor friends in Nebbi and they began working on a taxi for Aunt and Uncle. It took a little while but a nephew of Pastor Cosmos finally came and agreed to take Aunt and Uncle all the way to the airport! While it wasn't the goodbye we'd planned, we were so thankful to Jesus for providing a way. We sent them off and waited for the Germans to return. They did shortly and we just got organized to tow "Larry" back to Arua when we realized the "spare tire" actually had a hole! No problem. Back they went to Nebbi while we rolled "Larry" into a shady pit stop. Throughout the "safari," Elsie Jayne was a champ. Whether providing encouragement or quietly minding her own business:), she did fantastic. John Rinehimer was also a hero; very forgiving about his vehicle and we honestly made memories waiting together under the shade tree. Finally the Germans returned victoriously and they were great. We got Larry under tow and while it took a while to get back to Arua, we finally reached about 5:30p.m. It really was either or laugh or cry and Jesus helped us keep laughing. We did speak with Aunt and Uncle right as they reached the airport about 9:00 p.m. Hallelujah! Praise God Forever! He looks after fools and little children.

Thank you for praying for us! Particularly when we go on safari. We are so thankful to Jesus for all that did not happen. We would ask you to pray with us for grace, protection, and provision with our vehicles. This spring we cannot seem to keep the Arua vehicles out of the shop. After an episode like this, we'd just ask for additional prayer on something seemingly as routine as working & safe vehicles. Hallelujah! Praise God Forever!